a romantic comedy about love, honour and social conventions, world premiere
Jane Austen is without a doubt one of the greatest authors in English literature, a classic of the nineteenth century novel, a sharp and ironic observer of the often comical subtleties of social life. Sense and Sensibility, her first and at the same time supreme novel, one of the most famous English novels ever written, demonstrates her feeling for romantic involvements, subtle psychological observation and a masterful perspective on the romantic clichés of her time.
In Sense and Sensibility, Austen tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, who are deprived of their home and social status by fate when their half-brother and his domineering wife deprive them of their inheritance after the death of their father. Elinor, Marianna and their mother are forced to leave the comfort of their beloved Norland Park estate and move to a cold country house in Devonshire where they must begin their lives anew and seemingly without great prospects. The two sisters are very different in character, as are the way in which they mature and their suffering, which ultimately leads them from the tranquillity of the Devonshire countryside to the whirlwind of the London ball season. Elinor professes moderation and common sense, while Marianna holds a romantic belief in passionate emotionality – but both will have to learn to combine reason with emotion in order to find happiness in a time when love is dominated by money.
The rich mosaic of relationships and destinies set against the backdrop of two love stories draws a portrait of a society that abounds in pretence, hypocrisy and selfishness, as well as sincere feeling and mutual understanding. The famous novel, full of humour and emotion from “Merry Old England”, has seen many film, theatre and television adaptations. It is to be brought to the stage at Brno City Theatre in an original dramatisation and world premiere for our theatre by our regular guest director Mikoláš Tyc.
